Venue: Alumni Conference Room, 12th Floor, Political Science Building 3, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University

The rise of robotics and automation is becoming evident in Asia. According to the International Federation of Robotics, by 2019, more than 1.4 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world, with China being the strongest growing market for the roboticsindustry.

A recent study by International Labor Organization suggests that over 70% of salaried workers in 5 key sectors in ASEAN countries are at risk of being displaced by automation. The study also points out the need to upgrade STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills among workers in general. Cloud technology and big data analytics,Internet of Things, and digital marketing are also highlighted to have transformative impacts on jobs in ASEAN.

The roundtable discussion will focus on the above issues and university’s task of preparing young students to cope with the future. Given the state of the Thailand policies on economy, education and development, the question then arises: what actions could be taken at the state, university and individual levels to prepare students in order to cope with this newreality.